Printable destination guide
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Hong Kong
China
- Cityscape
- Chinois-chic megapolis
- City life
- Well fed, well dressed and well busy
Full of colour and teeming with life, Hong Kong is a modern Asian metropolis known for its incredible efficiency, its vibrant shopping and its world-beating cuisine. While it does deserve the reputation, dig a little deeper and you find there’s much more going on beneath the surface.
Hong Kong is now fully recovered from its handover hangover. When China took over the territory in 1997, some fickle-hearted souls fled for greener pastures. But, over the past few years, Hong Kong has been busy reaffirming its position as Asia’s most cosmopolitan city. Business is booming, and the bankers are still blowing their bonuses on elaborate cocktails in ever-sexier establishments. Rich local ladies, competing to see whose get-up boasts the most bling, are togged to the nines by couturier to the stars, Barney Cheng, while their husbands cut a dash in bespoke Berluti boots. The restaurant scene is buzzing like never before: Gagnaire, Robuchon, and Nobu have all opened here. Visitors can still do the traditional touristy things, like getting a suit tailor-made, suffering through the bad service at Luk Yu Tea House, or browsing crafts and antiques on Cat Street, but those in the know now go to Hong Kong for a slice of the high life, China-style.
Pictured: The Luxe Manor
Our round-up of the hippest hideaways and boutique hotels in Hong Kong
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Planes, trains, automobiles, or maybe even helicopter – we tell you the best way to go.
more
Highlights the best Hong Kong has to offer, from art and culture to fun-packed activities; we've even found the most inspiring place to enjoy the views from.
more
We've tracked down the best cafés for people-watching, the bars with the coolest cocktails, the most accomplished restaurants and the liveliest local nightlife in Hong Kong.
more
Here is the map of Hong Kong; each Mr & Mrs Smith hotel is marked by a flag; click it for more details.
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Local knowledge
- Taxis
- Taxis are cheap and plentiful in Hong Kong. Be warned: while in certain neighbourhoods, such as Central, civilized folk patiently queue for their cabs, in others, you have to fight like Tyson to get through the door. Unless you have a huge life insurance policy, avoid the cute but crazy minibuses. While routes are defined, there are no regular stops except a few designated start and end points. Passengers flag down the buses, which are usually careering down roads at bewildering speeds, and yell out to the driver to stop when they want to get off.
- Tipping culture
- Tipping is not standard practice, but most establishments add a 10 per cent service charge to your bill.
- Siesta and Fiesta
- Most shops start the day at 10am and close at 7pm. In Kowloon, they tend to open a tad later and close at around 9pm or 10pm.
- Packing tips
- Bring your finest designer togs and look fabulous wherever you go. Sadly, many here do believe that clothing maketh the man and you’ll simply get better treatment if you make an effort.
- Recommended reads
- Read Richard Mason’s classic The World of Suzy Wong for a taste of Fifties Hong Kong. Also have a flick through James O’Reilly and Larry Habegger’s Traveler’s Tales Hong Kong. This fun volume packs some great stories by famous nomadic scribes like Jan Morris, Suzy Gershman, and Paul Theroux. For a more heavyweight cultural crib-sheet, Steve Tsang’s A Modern History of Hong Kong covers the period between 1841 to 1997, roughly the age of British colonial rule.
- Cuisine
- Like the islands’ colonial history, Hong Kong cuisine combines Western dishes with Chinese culinary tradition. Most of its Chinese food is of a Cantonese foundation, characterised by roast meats, subtle flavours, soups and mild spices. Dim sum is the local breakfast and lunch mainstay, and noodle shops offering soups filled with yummy ingredients, like fishcake, dumplings or braised beef.
- Currency
- Hong Kong dollar (HK$). The exchange rate is roughly HK$16 to £1.
- Time zone
- GMT +8 hours
- Dialing codes
- Country code for Hong Kong: +852
Hong Kong hotels
Our round-up of the hippest hideaways and boutique hotels in Hong Kong
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- Style
- Dalí-fied European mansion
- Setting
- Kowloon harbourside heartland
- Rates from
- HKD 2000
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- Style
- Sleek boutique, Starck-style
- Setting
- Hong Kong shopping hub
- Rates from
- HKD 2000
Getting there
Planes, trains, automobiles, or maybe even helicopter – we tell you the best way to go.
- Planes
- Hong Kong is one of Asia’s busiest hubs. Most of the world’s top international airlines fly to Hong Kong International Airport weekly, if not daily, and it regularly tops the charts in the ‘world’s best airport’ awards (www.hongkongairport.com). Once you have landed, zoom into the city on the Airport Express train service – it takes about half an hour (www.mtr.com.hk).
- Trains
- Arrive by train from the mainland and capture some of the romance of bygone travel. The Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) runs regular trains into and out of Hong Kong, as well as around the New Territories (www.kcrc.com). Excellent in both value and efficiency, the MTR subway system is a great way to zip back and forth between Kowloon, Central and Causeway Bay (www.mtr.com.hk).
- Automobiles
- Renting a car is largely unnecessary thanks to efficient public transport and a glut of affordable taxis. Moreover, roads are frequently clogged with traffic and the one-way systems can be intimidatingly labyrinthine to the uninitiated.
Worth getting out of bed for
Highlights the best Hong Kong has to offer, from art and culture to fun-packed activities; we've even found the most inspiring place to enjoy the views from.
Highly Hong Kong
For just a few cents, riding the lower deck of the 100-year-old Star Ferry that regularly crosses back and forth between Kowloon and Hong Kong, is probably the very best way to immerse oneself in the city: great views, real atmosphere – and virtually no expense. Of course, once you’ve done it, you can take the very comfortable and clean subway – as much a symbol of Hong Kong’s efficiency as the ferry is of the city’s beauty.
- Viewpoint
- Have an early dinner at Aqua (+852 3427 2288), the sexy Italian-Japanese restaurant high atop One Peking Road in Kowloon. This achingly hip eatery has the most sensational views of Hong Kong harbour and both the interiors and food are fantastic.
- Arts and culture
- Hong Kong has some fabulous galleries, hawking everything from antiques (and reproductions) to contemporary Chinese art. The coolest and most thought-provoking art-space on the island is the Librarie Galerie (+852 2869 5505) run by French fashion house Agnes B.
- Something for nothing
- The Hong Kong Tourist Board (www.discoverhongkong.com) run a superb programme of (mostly) free events and classes as part of their Cultural Kaleidoscope programme. It covers everything from Chinese Medicine through to Kung Fu and Chinese Tea appreciation. Pick of the bunch are the free five-times-a-week Tai chi classes held on either the viewing platform at the Peak Tower or the Sculpture Court at the Kowloon Museum of Art. Your teacher will be the renowned Tai chi master, Mr Ng.
- Shopping
- Hong Kong does shopping like cows do milk. Kowloon is crammed with brightly lit displays of discount computers, cameras and other top-end gadgetry, tended by over-enthusiastic salespeople vying to ply you with bargains. Kowloon and Causeway Bay are stuffed with dinky boutiques selling both local and regional garments and accessories. Hollywood Road and Cat Street are excellent for furniture and antiques, but be wary: some goods aren’t nearly as ‘antique’ as you might think. Fashionistas in search of international luxury brands should head to Landmark (www.centralhk.com), the elite mall in Central. If you only have time for one shop, go to the militantly on-trend Lane Crawford outlet (www.lanecrawford.com) in the IFC mall.
- Daytripper
- Helicopter your way over to ex-Portuguese colony of Macau, Hong Kong’s naughty little sister. By air, it’s just 14 short minutes; by ferry, it’s an hour. Hop over in the morning, see the sights, have a sinfully delicious lunch at Robuchon a Galera (+853 377 666) at the infamous Hotel Lisboa, then spend the afternoon shopping – Macau does a brisk trade in ‘antique’ furniture – or try your luckat one of the island’s many casinos. Then dine at the wonderfully authentic and local favourite A Lorcha Portugese restaurant (+853 313 195), before jumping back on your helicopter.
- Activities
- One of Hong Kong’s best kept secrets is its awesome hiking trails. For starters ask your concierge to help you plan a short hike along ‘the Dragon’s Back’. You’ll need directions to the start of the trail – just outside a prison. From there, walk for two to three hours over some of the most gorgeous landcapes you’d never expect to see in Hong Kong. The trail ends just outside Shek O Village. Grab a cab or bus into the village and rest your heels at the Thai/Chinese seafood restaurant (+852 2809 4426) there, before heading back to the city.
Diary
February–March The month-long Hong Kong Arts Festival showcases some of the world’s best performing artists (www.hk.artsfesival.org). March Hong Kong Sevens is one of the most famous rugby sevens tournaments in the world, seeing around two dozen national teams clashing on the pitch every year (www.hksevens.com).
May–June The Dragon Boat Festival in Stanley attracted around 15,000 people to the port to watch the frenetic amateur water-race and soak up the carnival atmosphere (www.dragonboat.org.hk). June–August The Hong Kong Shopping Festival (www.discoverhongkong.com/hksf). A good time to visit Hong Kong if you’re planning some serious retail therapy. December Hong Kong Winterfest (www.hkta.org/hkwf) Hong Kongers embrace the festive season by slashing prices once again.
Eating, drinking and dancing
We've tracked down the best cafés for people-watching, the bars with the coolest cocktails, the most accomplished restaurants and the liveliest local nightlife in Hong Kong.
Cafés
Cova
Skip Starbucks and join the well-coiffed lunching ladies at this chic Italian café and patisserie in Pacific Place.
Level 3, Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty
+852 2918 9643
Restaurants
Hutong
This innovative northern Chinese effort comes fully equipped with a moody interior and stunning city views from its 28th-floor vantage point. The gorgeous food, especially the crispy mutton, keeps the punters coming back for more.
28/F, One Peking Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon
+852 3428 8342
Yun Fu
From the same people who opened Hutong, this subterranean stunner near Lan Kwai Fong offers astonishingly good Tibetan cuisine, maverick cocktails (with ingredients such as dried seahorse), and sumptuous ornate interiors.
Basement 43-55 Wyndham Street, Central
+852 2116 8855
Opia
This unfeasibly trendy restaurant in the chic Jia hotel serves up chef Dale Clouston’s signature style of modern Australian cuisine.
1–5 Irving Street, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
+852 3196 9100
L’Atelier de Robuchon
Gorge yourself on beautiful little bites of perfectly cooked French food in this slick red-and-black affair, when tapas-sized classic dishes make the perfect tasting menus.
Shop 401, 4/F The Landmark, 15 Queens Road, Central
+852 2166 9000
Pierre
One of Paris’ best chefs, Pierre Gagnaire, has opened in the newly renovated Mandarin Oriental Hotel. Sample the novel and creative cuisine that earned Gagnaire three Michelin stars.
The Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 5 Connaught Road, Central
+852 2825 4001
China Club
If you or your hotel’s concierge have serious cachet, it would be worth seeing if you can get into this ultra-exclusive dining club for a bite. Founded by mover, shaker and million-maker David Tang, this penthouse club in the old Bank of china building recreates Twenties’ art deco glamour. The food is as good as the interiors are chic.
Bank of China Building, Garden Road, Central
+852 2521 8888
Bars and clubs
Volar
This exclusive underground night spot is at the top of the Hong Kong clubbing game – which is probably why it can be tough to get into.
Basement 38-44 D'Aguilar Street, Lan Kwai Fong
+852 2810 1510
Dragon-I
This bar-cum-restaurant-cum-lounge-cum-club-cum-celeb-spotter’s-paradise has been a must-do night-time destination for five years and is showing no signs of toppling off its pedestal any time soon.
UG/F, The Centrium, 60 Wyndham Street, Central
+852 3110 1222
Azure
On the 29th floor of Hotel LKF, this refined and laid-back lounge offers good food, decent drinks, and skyline views.
29/F Hotel LKF, 3 Wyndham Street , Central
+852 3518 9330
M Bar
Financial hawks nest at the high atop the Mandarin Oriental in this a dark and velvety space with floor-to-ceiling glass windows looking out onto the city.
5 Connaught Road, Central
+852 2522 0111
©2008 Mr & Mrs Smith